


It is Christmas Day after all

by OneRiot_OneRanger



Series: Jurassic Tales [1]
Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:00:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22046011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneRiot_OneRanger/pseuds/OneRiot_OneRanger
Summary: Zach heads off to finally see the raptors but finds something much better.
Relationships: Owen Grady/Zach Mitchell
Series: Jurassic Tales [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634422
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	It is Christmas Day after all

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this was supposed to be out Christmas Day but I procrastinated and got writers block. Not completely happy with it, but I wasn’t gonna let it sit till next year so here it is.

Zach was bored beyond belief. His parents had pawned him and his brother Gray off on their Aunt Claire for the Christmas holidays so he was at Jurassic World. He didn’t understand why he even needed pawing off since he was in his sophomore year in college. But he was still bored, and on Christmas Day no less. His Aunt had decided to go into the control room to check on how things were going. The park was technically closed to the public currently due to the holidays, but the family and friends of the workers could come have Christmas since the workers needed to stay and take care of the dinosaurs. And of course Aunt Claire just couldn’t stop working for a day, but whatever. Going to see all the fancy tech and operating systems and whatever else was there was basically the best Christmas present you could give Gray, but for Zach...  
Zach decided to stay back and not be a wet blanket, but he was almost regretting that decision now.  
While they had seen most of the park over the last few days, Aunt Claire had refused to take them to the raptor exhibit no matter how hard they had begged. She kept saying something about the raptor trainer being a good for nothing man she used to date. But Zach didn’t care about all that so he decided that now would be the perfect time to go check it out. Besides, he needed a bit more adventure and rule breaking in his life. 

The walk through the jungle wasn’t unpleasant, but it was seriously weird to not be freezing on Christmas Day. He made it to the raptor cage and, staying well back (because they’re raptors), looked through the bars trying to see the raptors. He could see lots of bushes and trees, but there was nothing moving inside. He started walking around the perimeter, hoping that they were just on the other side, when something clamped down on his shoulder.  
Zach hadn’t been very popular in high school and had been bullied a lot, so he had the unfortunate habit of punching things that surprised him. Add to that the fact that he was supposedly by himself in the middle of a jungle with dinosaurs nearby...  
By the time Zach realized it was just a guy that had startled him, he was already committed to the punch. It made solid connection to the man’s nose which caused the man to take a step back.  
Zach stood slack jawed as he realized what he had done.  
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, sir! You startled me and I didn’t think there were any other people around so I figured it must have been like a dinosaur or something and I...” Zach trailed off as the man lifted up one hand to stop him. He was holding his nose with the hand not being used to ward off Zach’s apology. After Zach had quieted, the man finally pronounced “Ow.”  
“Sorry,” Zach mumbled apologetically.  
“Follow me.”  
The man sounded weird with his hand over his nose like that, but Zach felt bad, so he followed.  
He was led a little ways around the raptor cage and into what appeared to be a small office area of the building. Zach got a good look at the man as he busied himself finding some napkins to clean up his...  
“Oh! You’re bleeding!” Zach immediately felt even worse for punching the guy. Especially since he was so ruggedly handsome.  
“That can happen when you get punched in the nose.”  
Zach looked down at the floor.  
“Hey,” the man said, “it’s no big deal. Just took me by surprise, which is impressive. Not many people can do that. I’m Owen Grady, the raptor trainer.” He stuck out his hand and Zach shook it.  
“Zachary Mitchell. Wait, you’re the raptor trainer?”  
Owen chuckled, “Last time I checked, yeah.”  
“Cool. Wait, are you working right now?”  
“No, I had just come up to the paddock to check on my girls.”  
“If you don’t mind me asking, don’t you have family or friends to be with today?” Zach was curious to find out more about this handsome man that his aunt apparently hated.  
“Nah, Barry is about the only family I have on the island and he’s off with his actual family.”  
“So you’re spending Christmas Day alone?”  
Owen shrugged, “Didn’t look like you had anyone else with you when I first saw you. Speaking of which, what were you doing out here in the first place?”  
“It’s a long story, but essentially I didn’t want to be the wet blanket to what the my brother and aunt consider fun.”  
Owen watched him silently for a while and Zach was starting to get nervous.  
“Tell ya what, you came up here to see the raptors, right? Well how about I show you to them and then we can head back to my place for the burgers I was planning on making?”  
Zach weighed his options. Lonely hike back to the hotel to sit and be bored or get to see the raptors and hang out with the handsome raptor trainer?  
“Sure, why not,” Zach agreed. “But, you said show me to the raptors?”  
Owen grinned widely, “Yup!”  
“Well that makes me feel all warm and comforted with Christmas cheer.”  
Owen laughed and led the way out of his office before giving a shrill whistle.  
Zach watched as the bushes began rustling with movement before the raptors emerged slowly. They came right up to the bars of the paddock and peered through at Zach.  
“Well, these are my girls,” Owen said. “From left to right, they are Charlie, Echo, Delta, and this one is Blue. She’s the beta.”  
Zach glanced at Owen, “Who’s the alpha?”  
“You’re looking at him, kid.”  
Zach quickly looked back to the raptors so that Owen wouldn’t see him blushing.  
“I’m not a kid, I’m 19 years old you know.”  
They raptors started chirping and cooing and Owen laughed.  
“What?” Zach asked.  
“They like you,” Owen explained, “they don’t usually like people. Guess you’re just full of surprises.”  
“Oh, um, cool.” Zach wasn’t really sure how to respond to hearing that four previously extinct dinosaurs, who aren’t known for their gentleness, liked him.  
He turned back to Owen and saw that he had been watching him.  
“You ready for some burgers?” Owen asked.  
“Sure,” Zach agreed readily.  
“Great, my motorcycle is on the other side of the office.”  
“Motorcycle?”  
“What’s the matter?” Owen grinned. “Never ridden one before or concerned about having to hold on to me?”  
Zach blushed but forced himself to stare Owen down. He wasn’t gonna let this man have the satisfaction of winning whatever this was.  
“No, I actually haven’t ridden one before.”  
“Well, just hold on tight and you’ll be fine.”  
Zach followed Owen around the office and towards the motorcycle that was waiting there. Zach was too busy looking it over to see where he got it, but Owen produced a helmet from somewhere and told Zach to put it on.  
“What about you?” Zach asked. “Don’t you need one?”  
“It’s not too far and I’d rather you have it since this is your first time.”  
Zach watched as Owen swung onto the motorcycle and motioned for him to hop on. He finished strapping on the helmet and took his place behind Owen, wrapping his arms tightly around him. They started moving and it didn’t take Zach long to get used to riding on the motorcycle. They moved quickly through the jungle and Zach maintained his grip around Owen.  
“Of course,” Zach thought to himself, “the man isn’t just handsome, he’s also ripped.” Zach knew he probably shouldn’t be this attracted to someone he barely knew, but there was that stupid feeling he got in his gut every time he looked at Owen and he wanted to know if Owen felt it too.  
“You can let go now, you know.”  
Owen’s comment pulled Zach out of his thoughts and he realized that they were parked in front of a trailer in a clearing that ended in a beach by the ocean.  
“Oh, um, yeah.”  
Zach quickly unwrapped his arms from Owen’s torso and stumbled off the bike. Owen just laughed.  
“Come on,” Owen said, “I’ll show you my bungalow and then get the burgers started.”  
He led the way inside and with an exaggerated wave of his arm pronounced, “welcome to Casa de Owen.”  
“I thought you said it was a bungalow,” Zach replied.  
Owen sounds around and glared at him.  
“Everybody’s a comedian these days.”  
Zach laughed and Owen joined in. Owen made quick work of grilling the burgers and they were soon sitting on the beach enjoying lunch. Thankfully, a small breeze had started to blow through to relieve the heat of the island.  
“These are delicious,” Zach complimented.  
“Thank you,” Owen smiled as he spoke, “one of the unexpected benefits of bringing the dinosaurs back is the meat off the dead ones.”  
“What?” Zach paled as he set his burger back on the plate a bit shakily. “You mean... you’re saying this is...”  
Owen couldn’t hold back any longer and started laughing.  
“It... isn’t... Dino...” Owen choked out between laughs.  
“You are impossible!” Zach yelled at Owen.  
Owen eventually finished laughing and the two sat in companionable silence, watching the water and quietly thinking to themselves.  
It was Owen that finally broke the silence.  
“So why do you think you’d to a wet blanket to your family?” Owen asked.  
“Hmm,” Zach hummed, pulling himself out of his thoughts, “Their idea of fun is heading up to the control room to check on things and see all the fancy equipment. That’s not exactly my scene and I would just be dead weight for them to drag around.”  
“Your aunt must be pretty well up there to work in the control room,” Owen said, slightly impressed.  
“Well, I don’t think she actually works there. I mean, she works with them but I think Aunt Claire’s office is...”  
“Wait!” Owen interrupted in surprise. “Claire Dearing?”  
“Um, yeah,” Zach responded, puzzled.  
“Claire Dearing is your aunt?”  
“Well, she’s not my brother.”  
“Oh she is so going to kill me,” Owen moaned.  
“Not if I can help it,” Zach stated. “Why would she?”  
Owen turned to look at Zach.  
“Um... you know we used to date?”  
“She said it was one time,” Zach replied, “and apparently it was bad enough for her to rant about for ages.”  
“Anyway,” Owen continued as he started pacing, “if she knew, she would hunt me down and...”  
“Hey!” Zach interrupted. “Know what?”  
Owen stopped pacing and stared out over the water.  
“If she knew that I had a, I don’t even know. Crush, I guess? On her nephew, and was thinking about kissing him.”  
Zach moved to stand beside him.  
“You... Do you like me?”  
“Yeah, Zach. I know it sounds weird cause we just met, but I feel like we get each other. Like...”  
“Like maybe what they say about soulmates is true?” Zach questioned. “Like maybe we’re supposed to be together for whatever reason?”  
“Yeah.”  
“She’d have to hunt me too, cause I would definitely kiss you back.”  
Owen reached over and took Zach’s hand.  
“Maybe we can take our time and figure out what we are and what we’re going to do,” he suggested.  
“As long as that still involves our kiss,” Zach answered.  
Owen looked at the pretty man standing beside him and grinned.  
“Of course it does.”  
They leaned together until their lips met in a kiss. Owen loved the feel of Zach’s lips and pulled him closer to deepen their kiss. Zach loved the feeling of being wrapped in Owen’s arms. They finally parted and Zach leaned his head on Owen’s chest.  
“Merry Christmas, Zach.”  
“Merry Christmas, Owen. I guess that kiss is our gift to each other?”  
Owen laughed before answering.  
“It is Christmas Day after all.”


End file.
